Breathing issues due to persistent nasal obstruction, sleep apnea, earaches, and throat infection—are these conditions plaguing your child? If all conservative interventions have already been explored but still without success, talk to your ENT doctor about adenoidectomy surgery and whether it is right for your child.
Adenoidectomy has been shown to provide most pediatric patients with the following benefits:
- Easier breathing for the long term;
- Significant improvements in sleep apnea symptoms, including snoring;
- Reduced risk of developing sinus, middle ear, or throat infections; and
- The improved overall quality of life.
Here is some more information about adenoidectomy surgery, particularly its side effects, risks, and contraindications that you can discuss with your ENT doctor.
Side Effects and Risks
The side effects of this type of ENT procedure—which include sore throat, bad breath, and nasal congestion— typically subside after just a few days and are easily controlled with over-the-counter pain medications, and an ice collar on the neck (to reduce swelling), and a soft diet.
Just like any other type of surgical procedure, adenoidectomy is not devoid of risks, albeit rare. These include the following:
- Excessive postoperative bleeding (extremely rare)
- Failure of the surgery to resolve your child’s breathing difficulty, ear infections, and/or nasal drainage problem
- Permanent changes to your child’s vocal quality
- Postoperative infection
- Complications associated with the use of anesthesia
Contraindications
While adenoidectomy has no absolute contraindications, your ENT doctor may not recommend the procedure if your child has a cleft palate, bleeding disorder, or an active infection.
If your child has a submucous cleft palate (a congenital defect of the palate), adenoidectomy surgery can increase your child’s risk of developing persistent hypernasal speech (when there is too much air escaping through your child’s nose when they are talking) and nasal regurgitation (when fluid or food goes up into your child’s nose).
Adenoidectomy Surgery in Georgetown, TX
At Georgetown ENT, Dr. Scott William Franklin, our double-certified ENT specialist, provides exceptional care for patients of all ages, especially our pediatric patients. He delights in giving parents useful information about adenoidectomy or any other type of pediatric ENT procedure, helping them make the best decisions about their young ones’ health care.
Give us a call at (512) 869-0604, or fill out this form to arrange an appointment with Dr. Franklin. We look forward to serving you soon!
